Tag Archives: free

I’ve never enjoyed running. To be honest, I never liked anything to do with jogging or walking long distances. But lately I’ve been focusing on getting in shape. I already belong to a gym, but running on the treadmill is so… yawn inducing. I desperately need either socializing or a beat to be motivated to burn some calories.

So last weekend my boyfriend and I went to the Nike RunClub at the nearby mall. It’s actually a really awesome program. It’s totally free which, granted, makes sense since you just run outside which costs them nothing, but you get more than just the outdoors for your 8:30am Sunday morning run. They have a few people there to lead the groups – I went with the slower group. We ran/jogged 4 miles and probably walked another (she didn’t count our walking part of our route which we did on and off in between jogging.) Just having someone there to talk to the entire time made running SO much better. And when we got back to the Nike store, they had fruit and water for us to. All free. Amazing.

Apparently lots of running stores have similar run clubs, at least around here. Some of them are more for advanced runners, but it depends on who shows up for the meeting. In a 30 minute drive from my house there’s at least 3 of these clubs throughout the week. If I ever get more in shape, maybe I’ll go running with the other groups. For now I’ll stick to the Nike RunClub. They even log your miles and give you a free t-shirt when you reach 100 miles total.

My sister apparently got detention with 3/4ths of her senior class for coming to school late today to get free pancakes at iHop. While that deal’s offer, you can still take advantage of the free food deals popping up at restaurants and fast food joints across the country.

Some are country wide offers and others are local, here are 10 free food offers across the US to take advantage of during this nasty recession.

Recently got laid off? Hungry? All you have to do to qualify is bring with you proof that you were recently laid off and you’ll be provided with a free lunch at Dothan restaurant in Alabama. Nick Nitkowski, owner of D’Monico’s said, “We are going to make sure they get a good hot meal, something to drink, bread and pats on the back and to let them know things will be better in the near future.” Domonico’s serves lunch from 11 am until 4 pm, Monday through Friday.

Union Restaurant and Bar Latino in Haverstraw, New York, will open their doors to serve complimentary buffet meals from Monday to Wednesday. Owners of Union Restaurant and Bar Latino, David Martinez and Paulo Feteira, said they decided to hold the event to welcome those who can’t afford to dine in a nice restaurant because of the current financial crisis.

5. Free Spaghetti – USA

Fazoli’s, known for fast, fresh Italian food, kicks off its 20th anniversary celebration today with a feast of special offers, including a continuation of its popular free spaghetti promotion and nearly a dozen delectable new menu items, all of which are now baked fresh to order.

My mom has a bad habit of forwarding me spam e-mails. So when I first got an e-mail about a “makeup settlement” I figured it was a fake. But I was intrigued, so I did a little Google research and found out that, indeed, department stores like Macys and Bloomingdales would be giving away free designer makeup… a $175M class action settlement that basically results in these companies giving away one free makeup item to anyone who wants it. Well, you’re supposed to have bought makeup at the store from 1994 to 2001 or something, but they aren’t checking.

So this morning, I went to Macys. I actually went to look for a new shirt for work, but I was also curious what this free makeup chaos would look like. It was, as I expected, chaotic. They had a line that went out into the mall when I arrived. So I decided to do my shopping first.

About an hour or so later, the line had died down. It was actually pretty short, about 15 people, so I got in line and was handed a “menu” of the free products. I had no idea which to get… they were mostly body wash and lotion and such. I decided on a 15ml bottle of Christian Dior d’adore perfume.

A lot of stores are giving away free goodies as long as supplies last all across the country. It’s probably not worth an hour wait in line, but if you can find a store with a short line, go for it.

Twitter. Ok, so it’s not exactly free because I need the internet to access it, but it’s close enough to free that it counts.

I’ve been on Twitter for a while, but used it as nothing more than a place to write silly little answers to the “What are you doing?” question. Only this week did I realize that I have been a fool for not using it for the tool it is — one that helps me connect with other personal finance bloggers, and anyone interested in the subject.

Since getting more involved in Twitter, I’ve started following a bunch of interesting people. It’s a little overwhelming, but for the time being I’m enjoying reading as much as I can in my free time.

I’m challenging all my readers to take a few minutes each day to think of one “free” thing that is awesome in their lives. If you write in a blog, post a link to your “Today, I’m Thankful For…” entry as a comment and I’ll add a link to it in my next post of the series. Since we’re constantly being advertised to for all the things that cost us money, this is an advertisement for all that’s free. Go ahead, buy in.

Today’s Post:

Today, I’m thankful for the free, online courses at MIT. I’ve never been quite the academic my curiosity has made me out to be, so I’m constantly trying to balance my ADD with my insatiable thirst for new knowledge. Also, I have some weird anxiety over succeeding when I’m actually paying for a class and it “counts,” which gets in the way of learning what I’m supposed to be learning. So these free classes are ideal.

Yes, they’re really free. You don’t get the interaction of talking to a professor, or other students. They’re pre-recorded classes from other years. Some of the classes only have notes, while others offer in-depth readings, and I think a few even have videos of the professors giving lectures.

I’m most thankful for MIT’s computer programming courses. One of my goals for 2009 is to learn computer programming. It’s not so much that I want to be a programmer professionally as my current job would benefit from understanding a bit of code. I also dream of being able to make apps as a hobby, at least to the point where I understand where API’s fit into the various programming languages I’m learning. I’m starting out with Python and Javascript. I’ve read a whole bunch of online tutorials (which are also free) but this (six credit) “Intro to Computer Programming” course has a text that’s really clear and helping me get my head around the complex topic. And it’s FREE! How cool is that?

If you’re interested in other subjects, they’ve got you covered. Business classes from one of the top MBA programs in the world? Sure thing. Arts & Literature classes to make you feel like you’re really in college again? Yup. Want to spend your spare time learning about Physics? Go for it.

When the cost of attending college is so high, and getting higher by the minute, it feels like I’m saving hundreds of dollars reading all of these online courses in my spare time. Maybe one day I’ll apply to their graduate MBA program and get the real first-hand experience of taking these courses, but until then I’m happy learning for free!

Like any other gal who grew up in an upper middle class family, I lust after the finer things in life. Yet a pair of $1000 Christian Louboutin heals, as lovely as they may be, won’t provide a smidgen of the happiness that I get from the free things in life. (Ok, maybe they will, but only for a few seconds before they start to hurt.)

In that mindset, and to offset my typical Jew whining, I’m going to try to post about one thing in my life that’s free that makes me happy. I challenge you to do the same thing if you have your own blog, and post your links here so I can check them out and feature you on my next “thankful” post.

Today, I’m thankful for…Trees. I’m no tree-loving hippie, but trees (and grass and all of natures greenery) makes life so much more pleasant. The condo complex I live in these days is full of ’em, and they make me smile every time I walk outside or look out my window. I sometimes wonder what the earth would look like if trees didn’t appear by the miracle of science and evolution. There’d be no shade to protect us from the sun and it would be tough for our air to be breathable.

When I did a Birthright Israel program this summer, our tour guide – who was practically a rabbi with his wise tales – spoke a lot of the symbolism of trees, and shade. Trees are free to sit under, to eat from, and to enjoy from afar. They are the wonderful gift that I’m thankful for today.

Q & you A: What free thing are you thankful for today? Post your answer on your blog and link back to it in a response.

Stay in Touch

About Me

The anti-minimalist: I'm the absolute worst with money. I have a shopping addiction. That's exactly why this blog exists. HECC is not a typical personal finance blog. I started it in 2007 to hold myself accountable for binge spending, a dropping networth, and lack of overall fiscal literacy. 10 years later, had achieved a networth of over $500k. Now my goal is to hit $1M by 40. Recently married and with my first kid on the way, things are about to get... interesting. I write about the intersection of mental health and money, spending & investing, and millennial personal finance.